Majority Requests Recall of Parliament Before November Ends

The Majority in Parliament has called on the Speaker to reconvene the House before the end of November to address pressing government business.

In a memo to the Speaker, Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin emphasized that this move was necessary to ensure the House could deliberate on critical issues vital to the government’s operations. He stressed that these matters were “high-priority businesses for Government.”

Afenyo-Markin pointed out that the Sixth Meeting of the Fourth Session of Parliament, which had been scheduled for November 7, 2024, had adjourned without addressing any government business. He reminded the Speaker that urgent government matters had been scheduled for consideration before the House adjourned.

The Majority Leader added that recalling Parliament would serve as a demonstration of Parliament’s commitment to fulfilling its constitutional duties, even as the country approaches the peak of the electoral season. It would also reflect the House’s dedication to advancing the national interest through bipartisan cooperation.

This request follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that declared the Speaker’s declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant to be unconstitutional.

On November 12, 2024, Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo ruled that the Speaker’s declaration was not valid, signaling the Court’s stance on the matter.

Background

On October 17, 2024, Speaker Alban Sumana Bagbin declared four parliamentary seats vacant just two months before the December elections. The affected MPs were Peter Yaw Kwakye Ackah of the NDC (Amenfi Central), Andrew Amoako Asiamah (Fomena), Kojo Asante (Suhum), and Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), all of whom had announced plans to contest the upcoming elections as independent candidates in their respective constituencies.

This declaration shifted the balance of power in Ghana’s hung parliament, which had previously given the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) a slight majority with the support of independent MP Andrew Amoako Asiamah. With the vacancy of these seats, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) now has a stronger position in the House.

In response, Afenyo-Markin filed for an injunction at the Supreme Court, which led to a stay in the execution of the Speaker’s declaration. However, Speaker Bagbin’s legal team later requested the Court to overturn the ruling, arguing that the Supreme Court lacked jurisdiction over the matter.

The controversy over the vacant seats has sparked widespread debate across Ghana, with concerns that the ongoing impasse could hinder government operations and delay essential development, especially as the country heads into an election period.